Top 2022 Marketing and Advertising Trends We’re Watching

As marketers, if we’re not evolving, we’re not doing our jobs correctly. When it comes to the latest industry trends, tools or resources, it’s our job to learn, evaluate and adapt—sometimes at a moment’s notice.

The tactics that worked for you last year, or even last quarter, might not fare as well in the next. That’s why it’s essential to keep an eye on what’s ahead and to keep moving forward.

For brands, keeping a pulse on emerging trends also helps identify (and better prepare for) new opportunities as they arise faster. Here’s a look at a few advertising trends you’ll be seeing in 2022 that we feel you need to be aware of.

Artificial Intelligence

AI isn’t exactly a new development, but it’s one that’s already come to define the current decade, and it’ll only become more prominent in 2022 and beyond. We’ve already seen AI utilized in a predictive sense, with consumer behavior dictating product recommendations and promotions.

Another AI-related area that will grow in significance is the use of artificial intelligence in pairing brands with the ideal influencer for that organization. This use of big data to inform personalized marketing is an extension of what we’ve seen in other areas of marketing automation. It’s time for that mentality to reach influencer marketing.

Less is More

More than anything, today’s consumer wants to feel valued. If a brand’s focus is too wide, the individual consumer feels as though they’re not special to the brand. It’s one reason why we’re seeing more businesses take a more narrow scope when it comes to product offerings, site design and marketing.

Focusing on specific niches of consumers can be more lucrative than casting a wider net, especially when the loyalty of those customers is considered. This approach also helps to give the brand its own unique identity. Instead of attempting to be all things to all people and failing in the process, marketers can focus on carving out a unique segment of the marketplace all to their own.

At the same time, minimalist designs on websites and social media are gaining traction, which we’ll see more frequently in 2022.

Death to Cookies

We’re already seeing the first blow against third-party cookies — as anyone with an iPhone can attest, users can opt-out of third-party tracking from mobile apps. Google has also sworn off third-party cookies, making consumer tracking more difficult for marketers. While the ban won’t be official until 2023, the entire landscape of the Internet may change as Google and other companies prepare for this transition.

Of course, Google will still be tracking users across the sites they visit — and marketers will have to pony up cash to Google to obtain the results of said tracking. Marketers are welcome to continue using first-party cookies, but it will be harder for them to craft buyer personas without knowing what their web visitors do before and after they visit the company’s website.

Dark Mode

While it’s been offered for some time on big-name apps like Reddit and Instagram, dark mode is steadily growing in popularity across the Internet. As people spend more time on their phones, they want less glare and easier readability. Dark mode offers this in spades, especially for users that already have dark modes enabled on their operating systems.

By itself, dark mode won’t make you any additional revenue. However, it’s a helpful feature marketers can enable on their websites and mobile apps to enhance the customer experience and increase consumer satisfaction.

Programmatic Audio

Everyone is familiar with the programmatic display ads that show targeted images based on what a user has looked at recently, such as products on a website. That same principle can now be applied to audio advertising. Marketers can prepare a variety of audio ads and have them broadcast based on the demographics and tendencies of a unique set of listeners.

These ads can appear on podcast networks; they may also air on Internet radio stations like Pandora. The real reason why programmatic audio will be a big deal in 2022? Retention rate for audio ads is 24 percent higher than that of display ads.

Google’s MUM Algorithm

SEO marketers live in fear of Google’s algorithm, which changes so drastically and so frequently that it’s often hard for advertisers to keep up with Google’s constant tinkering.

In this case, Google has already announced what’s coming — MUM, short for Multitask United Model. MUM’s goal is to incorporate the entirety of the Internet — text, images and video — in assessing user intent. The idea is to give searchers exactly what they want the first time, without requiring multiple searches from the end user. There’s no exact launch date for MUM, but since everyone knows what’s on the horizon, content creators will surely issue materials optimized for MUM well in advance of the algorithm’s arrival.

ReactJS

Online shoppers don’t care so much about the nuts and bolts of the websites they visit. They just want a good experience and reliability. Marketers can find both things in ReactJS, a programming language that allows advertisers to easily create custom user interfaces.

ReactJS doesn’t rely on templates, so users don’t have to worry about looking too similar to other sites. Top website editors like WordPress already offer ReactJS, and the amount of marketers using ReactJS is exploding. Don’t get caught behind the curve — look into what ReactJS has to offer before the competition does.

Shoppable Livestreams

In China, shoppable livestreams are already a powerhouse. In 2022, we’ll likely see this phenomenon take over the rest of the world. Why? Because it’s an easy way for influencers to attract attention and revenue.

It combines the intimacy of a one-on-one interaction, the rush of impulse buying and the ease of online shopping, all into one irresistible package. Consumers feel connected to the influencers they’re supporting, and influencers get to connect with their audiences and better understand what motivates these individuals to buy.

While shoppable livestreams are mostly associated with social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, they can also take place on YouTube, Pinterest and Twitch, with more destinations to come.

NFTs

Who had even heard of a NFT prior to 2021? Very few people, if anyone. Today? They’re seemingly everywhere. Although NFTs today seem to be tied mostly to investors and the ultra-rich, that won’t be the case forever.

In 2022, we could see brands — particularly those niche organizations we spoke about earlier — make NFTs more accessible for average consumers, making them viable options for loyal consumers. We’ll also see NFTs evolve from a customer perspective, as people learn more about these tools and understand how NFTs can benefit them, personally and financially.

Security and Transparency

More than ever, consumers are aware of how much data they’ve given to the companies they support. In turn, they trust those businesses to safeguard that data. Data breaches, while increasingly commonplace, are also more unacceptable because consumers expect their data to be treated with respect and integrity.

Smart brands will not only handle this data at the highest levels required by law, but they’ll communicate with consumers and make sure their loyal customers are aware that their data is safe. Remember, consumers want to feel valued, and they want to trust in the brands from which they buy. Data integrity is one way brands can show consumers how much they’re truly valued.

These changes are just the tip of the iceberg of what’s likely to continue through 2022. Want to make sure your brand is ready to take advantage of what the future has in store? Contact us at Commit Agency today and we’ll help you identify what’s on the horizon in your industry and how best to leverage it.