‘Tis the season to look ahead to next year’s trends! From tech and marketing to fabulous fungi, these are a few things the Yalo team is excited to see more of in 2018.
Rachel
I recently read a stat that stated Tesla outsold Mercedes by nearly 3x with about half the ad budget. Why? Because they attract and engage with a core brand attribute people can get behind: decreasing dependence on natural resources and doing something better for the planet. Tesla is not alone. Many companies are refocusing and/or changing practices for the greater good. Think: philanthropic or “green” initiatives.
My point? Yes, the days of “40% OFF” are still around in retail or producing a commercial that is funny but ultimately has no point. But there is a shift to focus on pure brand and getting back to telling awesome brand stories, which excites me as a Marketer and Creative.
Lance
A few things I’m watching to see how they develop. First, the OMO trend (Online Meets Offline), driven by rapid smartphone uptake, frictionless payment systems, cheaper and better sensors and advances in AI. It’s currently shaping everything from how we order food and rides to how we shop (think Amazon Go) and the potential for spheres like language learning are pretty cool.
Next is content streaming. With all the players in this space from Netflix and Hulu to more traditional content creators like Disney and Warner Bros. getting into the streaming space, there will definitely be some shake-ups. Who will survive?
And finally, e-gaming. It’s expected to be an over $1B business next year. With NBA and Take Two Interactive launching a new e-sports league and universities starting to offer degrees in e-sports, we’ll be seeing a lot more competition and cool stuff coming out of this space.
Arnold
I am very interested and excited to see how the Facebook media streaming capability further extends marketers ability to deliver targeted content and ads in a way that is greater and more unique than YouTube has ever offered.
I am also very interested in the added big data functionality being offered by Spotify. It opens up a whole new world for artists to fan target and build highly engaged fan bases.
Jeff
I’m still fascinated by the crypto currencies and the rise of Bitcoin. How will this affect marketing? I still think some of these ICOs represent an opportunity to access areas that need promotion.
Brian
I’m still fascinated by the crypto currencies and According to the Content Marketing institute, more than 60 percent of B2B content marketers are reporting that they’re more successful now than they were the year before I’m most looking forward to customers who have consciously focused on content in the past now seeing those investments pay off. Many B2B companies who have remained committed to their content marketing strategy are reaping the benefits of their work, persistence and patience, which will likely lead to much more investment in this space.
Kristin
Whether driven by choice or necessity, more and more American workers are going freelance. According to Freelancing in America 2017, freelancers make up 36% of the U.S. workforce. Not only is the gig economy re-shaping the way we all approach work/life balance as a culture, it’s also presenting an opportunity to create services and products designed specifically for the people who fuel it. From co-work spaces to time management and organizational apps and tools, we’ve already seen many solutions targeted specifically to this audience. And we should expect to see more, considering freelancers are expected make up the majority of our workforce by 2027.
Anne
Mushrooms. Thanks to Whole Foods for predicting the biggest food trends for 2018, we will see fungi appearing more and more. The Magic of Mushrooms is making the top documentaries lists and ‘Popular on Netflix’ rounds which will encourage exploration of health benefits, new recipes and even cocktails that include the natural earthy flavors. Look out for them as they make their way into popular menu items and obviously around Whole Foods in 2018!
