Crystal ball save us all: 2023 marketing predictions from industry leaders

It is fair to say that 2022 has been an odd year in all of our lives. The cost of living crisis, the appointment of two new prime ministers, and a controversial winter World Cup have not helped the increased sense that many people have lost trust in various British institutions.

The marketing industry specifically has had to work harder than ever to not only ensure consumer trust but to also attract the attention of a world consumed by an ever-growing list of commercial choices.

As a result, influencer marketing has continued to rise, consumer data and SEO optimisation have become more important, and out-of-home and social media campaigns have become more provocative.

Will we see the same trends dominate the marketing industry next year, or are marketers in for a few surprises?

Ogilvy, the Data and Marketing Association (DMA), Mediaocean, Realtime Agency, LinkedIn and Go Up all share some marketing predictions for 2023.

INFLUENCER MARKETING – Ogilvy’s predictions

Ogilvy global head of influence Rahul Titus, believes that “influence sits at the head of the table, as it allows brands to connect with audiences in a way no other marketing can – with authenticity.”

The marketing form has increased globally from £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) in 2016 to £13.2 billion ($16.4 billion) in 2022. Titus feels that a series of ‘key influence trends’ will come to define 2023 and create a ‘new order’ of brands.

One of the key trends he identifies is iCommerce – the ‘influence economy’. TikTok has become the third largest social platform and ‘the most potent commercial force’ for today’s consumer. The hashtag ‘TikTokMadeMeBuyIt’ has 29.3 billion views alone and is driving iCommerce by testing out live shops which provide brands with ‘unprecedented’ insight into campaigns.

Titus also predicts that ‘hyperlocal grassroots influence’ will allow brands to “circumvent mass-market sale models, and pinpoint their target audience in authentic ways”.

The increasing popularity of platforms like OnlyFans and Patreon also suggests that subscription service business models will “define” 2023 as they unlock “new revenue streams for creators that go beyond paid advertising”.

“Authentic credibility has overtaken hard sales when it comes to increasing trust and growth,” Titus added. “Those brands who get this right are poised to reap the benefits of an ever-growing creator economy.”

Artificial humans (AI) and the rise of ‘health influence’ are also forecast to contribute to the growth of influence next year.

ogilvy influencer marketing

SOCIAL MEDIA – Mediaocean and Realtime Agency’s predictions

Mediaocean vice president of social strategy Megan Gall, recognises that social channels are “essential and permanent components” of a business’ marketing strategy, but she also feels that consumer activity on these platforms is “extremely fluid.”

Relatively new platforms like TikTok and Be Real have risen rapidly in popularity, taking the limelight away from Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat who are “having to work harder to retain their users”.

“These newer platforms are indicative of a new generation and a new way of thinking,” Gall added.

“In 2023 we can expect to see marketers increase focus on TikTok and BeReal, driving creative flex and the attention of the hard-to-reach Gen Z. One thing to watch out for will be BeReal’s next step to maturity and what monetization model it lands on.”

Realtime Agency associate director Alex Coyle, also admits that social commerce is continuing to grow “with no signs of slowing down in 2023.” Platforms such as Meta are adapting at “unprecedented speeds” to encourage in-platform shopping.

“Meta is currently running a beta which dynamically directs users to either a brand’s Instagram shop or website – whichever Meta’s AI determines will garner the best cost per conversion in real time,” he added.

Coyle also believes that “reviewing and testing new channel data is going to be critical for brands in 2023.”

“This year was a fantastic reminder that platform updates can happen at any time, and will have a massive impact on your overall business’ performance if you’re relying on just one or two channels.”

bereal marketing

DATA – DMA UK’s predictions

DMA UK CEO Chris Combemale expects the coming months to be “momentous” for data marketing.

Combemale notes that while the industry may be “fatigued” by legislative and regulatory changes following Brexit and the implementation of GDPR in 2018, businesses are “more engaged than ever in the process of how the industry is regulated.”

“Over the past few years, we have seen a huge uptick in businesses’ awareness of privacy legislation, as well as understanding its role in helping to build consumer trust, so companies have been very receptive to offer industry feedback on what kind of landscape they wish to see to thrive.”

According to the association’s CEO, the UK government is also “increasingly aware” of the needs of the industry and are evidently “keen to help foster an innovative and supportive business environment, while maintaining the fundamental principles of protecting consumers’ rights.”

The ‘Digital Information and Data Protection Bill’ is currently making its way through parliament.

“We hope that such legislation in 2023 will be emblematic of the government’s words and will outline with greater specificity how marketers can better reach audiences while respecting personal data,” Combemale added. “Similarly, we are keen to see EU alignment retained sufficiently so that the continental market remains open to the UK.”

data privacy marketing

B2B MARKETING – LinkedIn’s predictions

LinkedIn predicts that economic uncertainty in 2023 will force B2B marketers and CMOs to elevate their brands by not only “doing more with less” but also beginning to learn the language of the CFO.

The professional network believes that maintaining existing budgets and strengthening future ones will be dependent on CMOs’ abilities to go beyond proxy metrics and instead “measure the impact of their work on sales metrics, like revenue influenced or return on ad spend.”

The company also feels that in 2023 purpose-built B2B measurement metrics will emerge due to marketers’ failure to capture “true business impact” because of a lack of accounting for any of the “nuances” in B2B buying.

“Purpose-built measurement tools will arise and define new industry standards, helping B2B marketers better merchandise the value of their investments,” LinkedIn added.

As consumers place an increasing importance on price, marketers will also need to focus less on “feature-benefit marketing”, and more on emotional messages and creatives that “humanise” their brands.

“In the year ahead, B2B marketers that focus on making strategic investments in emotion-led brand marketing, measurement, ROI, privacy and thought leadership, are the ones that will help their companies navigate through this period and come out stronger,” LinkedIn Marketing Solutions senior director for EMEA and LATAM, Tom Pepper, said.

b2b marketing

SEO – Go Up’s predictions

Go Up head of strategy James Barber, affirms that SEO can no longer generate results for businesses who do not have their “roots” in brand identity, value proposition and persona research.

Since Google launched its Helpful Content Update in August 2022, the tech company has raised the bar when it comes to quality content, “thanks to its ever-advancing algorithm,” Barber adds.

“This means the content that might have ranked last year might not even be indexed next year. Site owners will need to ask serious questions about the content they produce. In general, Google gets better at serving the intents of its searchers, so the investment of time and energy into long-form content for the sake of it will not be as powerful as it once was.”

The SEO agency head also notes that AI came on leaps and bounds in 2022. Next year, marketers will supposedly look to benefit from the ability to spin up “enormous” websites using AI-generated content from a few “simple” prompts. Barber believes this poses an “enormous threat” to the quality of Google’s search results.

“We may see Google change or adapt its stance or change its algorithm entirely.”

seo google marketing


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