2022 is going to be the revenge-advertising year: Mehul Gupta, SoCheers

Mehul Gupta, Co-Founder & CEO, SoCheers, notes that the advertising industry witnessed an encouraging acceleration in the years gone by, with digital being at the forefront of it all and continuing to unfold many new opportunities. The situation looks quite illuminating as global digital ad spends will exceed 60% in 2022, for the first time, as per Zenith’s Advertising Expenditure Forecasts report. From an Indian standpoint, a report by Dentsu states that digital ad spends will account for 32.7% of marketing expenditures in 2022, a significant growth from 29.4% the previous year.

In this interaction with Adgully, Mehul Gupta highlights the key advertising and digital marketing trends and what to expect in 2022.

Throughout the year, we witnessed and engaged with inspiring and impactful stories. Perhaps the new and reimagined Cadbury advertisement took you on a trip down memory lane, or you discovered a long-lost song in your year-end Spotify Wrapped playlist; these are the small and enriching moments that not only provide us with key learnings, but more importantly, a willingness to move forward with hope and positivity.

From conversational content, typography-led design, to data-based direct marketing, we are already seeing some emerging trends which will set the pace for an exciting 2022. Here are some of the key trends in advertising and digital marketing for the coming year.

Converse to Connect

Conversational marketing will be absolutely critical to personalize brand communication in order to build a deep connection with target audiences. Brands like Zomato, Swiggy and Myntra have already mastered this art with their quirky, and at times, highly topical content and notifications. This is something other brands will definitely try and adopt. Chatbots, which are fast becoming a commonality, especially in e-commerce portals, will engage more humanely with customers, thus further enriching their experience. Hyperlocalization is another pivotal aspect when it comes to personalization. Taking into account the digital journeys of consumers, brands will be looking to customize their messaging for a very small and specific target audience, maybe even individuals, to build a stronger rapport and establish long-term loyalty.

AI and Metaverse - A new horizon

Cadbury’s Diwali advertisement, in collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan, is a phenomenal example of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and creativity can combine to not only promote a brand, but also provide value to the society at large. The blueprint is there and brands will be relishing the opportunities it creates. There is a trove of consumer data on the internet which can be regulated and used to get an enhanced understanding of the consumer behavior, as well as create targeted and personalised communication for campaigns and on-website customer experiences.

Additionally, the metaverse, led by Mark Zuckerberg’s “Meta”, has immensely accelerated the possibilities of how brands can reshape their identity, providing their audience with a never-before-imagined immersive experience in a bid to stand out in a cluttered market. For this to happen, brands themselves have to rethink their long-term marketing strategies and try to assimilate them with the latest technologies at hand. However, caution must be exercised, especially when it comes to the handling of consumer data and the implementation of AI & metaverse in operational processes.

We must ensure that these systems are set up with adequate human intervention to maintain a steady balance so that the machines and gadgets don’t end up dictating brand communications and customer journeys.

Data is King

Ever wondered why everyone’s Instagram stories are filled with Spotify content when they release their year-end "Spotify Wrapped"? Or why does your Netflix account display Korean shows just after your mother used your profile to see a couple of Korean dramas? All this is because of data. Data is and will be a central mechanism when it comes to providing consumers with the most relevant, relatable and personalized content, that too at the exact right time.

Data will be used to understand sentiments and conversations surrounding particular issues, which will then be leveraged by brands to create specific communication for their particular audiences. It will be the bridge between the brands and the people. How a brand researches and employs data will significantly determine their digital presence and the relationship they have with their target audience.

Influencer Collaborations - Reaching far and wide

Influencers will continue to be a critical part of brands’ strategy to reach out to their existing audience and in their quest to connect with newer groups, with short-form video platforms playing a significant role. In addition to big tech giants stepping into the arena in 2021 with Instagram Reels & YouTube Shorts, newly launched players like MX Takatak, Moj, Josh, etc., have managed to attract substantial eyeballs, opening up endless possibilities for brands to reach out to the pockets of audiences that were previously inaccessible.

Moreover, going ahead, we can expect to see brands collaborating with influencers on a larger scale, along the lines of year-long partnerships and commercial collaborations. Given the fact that the influencer marketing ecosystem is dense with not only able content creators but also ever-evolving technologies, which makes it a perfect solution for brands to invest in.

In 2021, despite multiple adversities, people showed immense resolve and patience to endure, adapt and tackle the challenges head on. The advertising industry showed a similar resilience, sailing through the year quite strongly and the digital industry specifically experienced a boom in between the pandemic waves. 2022 is going to be the revenge-advertising year where brands will put more steam behind their advertising campaigns to scale up their businesses, more so digitally.