Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report is a digital marketers favourite. The 2002 blockbuster predicted a world where Tom Cruise is bombarded by augmented reality ads at every turn, screaming his name and demanding his attention – directing him to shops he might like and products he might need. Well, 2020 is fast approaching, and we may not be far from this sci-fi movie’s predictions.
We take a closer look at what’s going to be big in digital advertising next year.
1. The Continued Rise of Voice Marketing
Over the next 3-5 years, sales of smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Echo are projected to explode, giving advertisers a new platform to reach consumers. And 51% of all search queries are expected to be made by voice by 2021. While the likes of Siri, Google and Samsung’s Bixby have been popular on smartphones for a number of years, many consumers are bringing digital assistants into their own home using smart speakers.
These home assistants can handle a number of tasks, like checking the weather for you, updating your schedule, giving you step my step recipes, playing your favourite podcasts and music and giving you restaurant recommendations. When paired with smart devices like lightbulbs and thermostats, you can even manage your home by voice.
What does that mean for advertisers and consumer facing brands? Voice assistants give advertisers the opportunity to have a one-on-one direct, intimate line with their audience. While advertising placements are in their infancy, you bet that Amazon and Google will soon roll out self service advertising platforms to advertise through voice in the coming years. Watch this space.
2. You’ll Be Using Your Camera For More Than Just Selfies
Earlier this year, Google announced their new Google Lens feature, which will allow users to search for products just by taking a picture – thus turning your camera into a searchbox. Furthermore, augmented reality is expected to go from a fun novelty in games like Pokemon Go, and is instead by used by brands to immerse customers in their product. For instance, back in 2014 when IKEA launched their IKEA Place app, allowing users to see furniture in their own homes before purchase.
The likes of Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Google have made big investments in AR technology, and by 2020, AR is expected to reach $120 billion in sales.
3. Goodbye Kardashians, and Hello Micro-Influencers
Okay, the likes of A-List influencers like the Kardashian-Jenners with millions upon millions of followers aren’t going anywhere – but their followers are becoming too savvy to always trust their product recommendations and plugs. They know that the brands are paying big bucks for that placement, and many assume their endorsement is entirely disingenuous.
We predict micro-influencer and word-of-mouth marketing will give brands a better bang for their buck if they’re thinking of investing in influencer marketing. In a nutshell, the practice sees brands partner with individuals with relatively small followings on social platforms to promote their products with more authentic content instead of traditional content.
4. Podcast Sponsorship
Despite being around for 15 or so years, podcasts have become hugely popular in the past several years due in part, to the release of true-crime series, Serial, which became a cultural phenomenon. Since then, podcast listenership has been on the up and up, with 1 in 3 saying they listen to podcasts on a monthly basis. Why? It’s convenient to consume (on your commute or cooking dinner), easy to access and free..
Millions of podcasts are now available, that appeal to every niche imaginable, which offers advertisers a valuable opportunity to invest in podcast ads to target a niche audience. Many podcast sponsored ads are recorded by the host themselves, which allows them to communicate the product to their listeners in a voice they are used to instead of disrupting a listeners experience.
Investing in podcast sponsorship, as opposed to traditional media, is relatively inexpensive and offers real value. At the moment, 78% of listeners don’t mind branded sponsorships because they understand it supports the content. This gold rush won’t last for long though, so hop on it fast.
5. Watch out for TikTok
Move over Facebook and Instagram, there’s a new platform in town and it looks lets to monetize itself in a big, big way in 2020.
The short-form video app (similar to Vine), might not yet be a household name to everyone over 18 but it’s about to become a very valuable advertising platform for brands wanting to reach a young adult market. In fact, it reached number one in over 40 countries app store charts.
TikTok ads give brands the opportunity to build bold creatives in fullscreen ads and immersive formats.
Want to get your brand in front of millions? Pop in for a coffee and see what a bespoke digital marketing strategy can do for you.
Get in touch.
