Rethink your digital marketing before it’s too late

The crystal ball season is in full swing. In between wrapping up old projects and planning for the new year, marketers are reading article after article trying to scope out the latest trends for 2014.

Unfortunately, the only thing that sticks are buzzwords such as ‘native advertising’, which most of us speak about without having an idea what they stand for. And yet, it is crucial to identify long term developments and their implications on your marketing strategy.

So, let’s have a deeper look on some of the most exciting trends that you can expect and how brands and agencies can profit from those opportunities
From native advertising to contextual advertising

‘Native advertising’ has been 2013’s number one buzzword at marketing panels, conferences, and on social networks. Essentially, the term refers to the digital form of advertorials or, in other words, the advertisements that come in the form of editorial content. However, native ads –also known as branded content– differ by not only adapting the editorial format, but because their content is specifically created to fit the voice of the outlet where they appear.
Leading platforms such as BuzzFeed and The Atlantic have dedicated teams to make sure that your ads become an almost indistinguishable part of their own publications. And those teams cannot grow fast enough: BuzzFeed will see its revenue jump from about $20 million in 2012 to $60 million in 2013, and expects to double it again this year.
“Are your ads looking more like magazine spreads yet?” ~David Ogilvy

The problem is marketers seem to have little understanding of what native advertising actually means. They measure the success of native ads just by looking at the number of shares, likes and comments. Yet, few marketing specialists know how those vanity metrics connect to the brand image or how they translate into actual leads. Considering a price tag of around $92,300 per campaign on BuzzFeed it might make sense for marketers to get a better understanding on that question.

Instead of using successful platforms as a promotion vehicle, you should excite consumers by creating unique content that relates closely to your brand and its values. One good example of this upcoming trend is Patagonia’s antidote to Black Friday. In a 27-minute film, the brand went against consumerism and promoted how garments become part of your experiences and thus develop into indispensable pieces of memory that you wear out rather than throwing them away. While “the company practically begged people not to buy its products on Black Friday,” it would still appreciate if you chose its $700 jacket over spending that money on a competitor’s cheaper product.