Rise's 2016 Marketing Predictions
The marketing landscape is fast-paced and constantly changing. As we begin 2016, a few Rise leaders from across the organization share their predictions for where digital marketing will go in 2016, as well as what marketers should be considering to stay ahead of the competition.
From advances in personalization to the changing role of the designer and the evolving world of attribution, read on for what to expect this year.
Personalized Experiences Across Devices
The coming year will see more marketers leveraging data for personalization purposes. Marketing technology is now in a place where we can start using all of the data that advertisers have been gathering and sitting on for years. Using offline data such as in-store, phone, direct mail, and more to enhance online digital marketing efforts will result in personalized experiences on a one-to-one basis across devices, giving advertisers an advantage this year.
The industry is also getting smarter about deduplication and attribution, and acknowledging that channels can no longer be viewed in silos. There is technology readily available to understand every touch point a customer has with a brand. Understanding this data is what is going to give marketers an edge. It's not easy, but as our CEO always says, “difficult is good.” Accomplishing the difficult gives you an advantage because not everyone is able to do it.
- Steven Tazic, Director of Media
Break Down of Silos
By the end of 2016, most marketers will have finally run at least one cross-channel campaign (where they use data from one channel, e.g. display, to impact another channel, such as email). Marketers that are focused on easily scalable markets like display and search will find results bifurcating, those that are using data and personalization will find results improving, and the rest will find results starting to decline.
For leading organizations, CRM marketing groups will be seen as less of a pure profit center and more as owning the data that drives the overall digital strategy. Accordingly, these organizations will begin to break down the silos among channels. Creative teams at agencies and in-house will be forced to develop creative in a way that can be used across many channels.
- Erik Severinghaus, VP of Personalization
Shift to "Marketing in a Digital World"
The marketing landscape is experiencing a shift from digital marketing to "marketing in a digital world." Customers are almost exclusively spending their time in digital, with an increasing amount of that time spent on mobile devices. It’s vital that marketers embrace this behavior by developing a strategy that places digital and mobile at the forefront. Online video in particular will be a huge area of opportunity this year. As many networks are enabling platforms that make it easy for people to consume programming and video anywhere at any time, marketers will need to consider how to reach these consumers in the most impactful way possible.
- Ann Kostopanagiotou, Director, Account Management
Focus on Data-Informed Design
In 2016, I expect to see an increased focus on data-informed design. Creatives will need to get more comfortable analyzing data – or at a minimum know who to reach out to in their respective companies to learn what type of data is being produced (and what it means from both a brand and customer standpoint) – once their creative is launched into market. Being able to synthesize data and leverage it to develop and test creative will help creatives quantify the value of their work.
There will also be a convergence across traditionally distinct creative roles. Copywriters and content developers will need to think like designers and media strategists by asking themselves where their content will live, what it will look like, and how it can evolve into truly immersive, highly visual customer experiences.
Conversely, designers will need to become better storytellers and understand media and marketing strategy just as well as they do Creative Suite. Why? Because marketers are going to need to be very focused on telling the right stories about their brands in 2016, and creatives need to have a grasp of the big picture and the most minute of details and data points to ensure they deliver on the brand’s purpose and mission.
- Lou Amodeo, Director of Customer Experience
Move from Targeting to Personalization
In 2016, personalization will go from being a concept to a much more tangible program that encompasses all channels. Brands should think about how they can use their existing data to move from targeting, which is centered around guessing what a group of individuals may find compelling, toward personalization, which is focused on providing a personalized experience to an individual. The great news is that many brands already have the data to begin moving toward this concept; however, they often struggle with putting it into action. Our proprietary technology platform, Connex, makes it easy to send over this existing data and begin activating on it through multiple channels.
- Joy Wilson, Principle Product Manager, Personalization
Seamless Customer Experience
Based on my conversations with senior marketers, 2016 will continue to be about providing seamless and personalized experiences in-store and across devices, while better understanding how and when to engage with each unique customer during his/her journey. This means that rather than thinking about a single piece of ad-tech or an individual marketing channel, marketers will need to take a holistic, integrated approach to both the technology and human capital components that build a tighter partnership between agencies and brands.
- Howard Diamond, Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy
Innovation in Analytics and Advanced Attribution
2016 will be another year of innovation in the analytics space. As media continues to be used in a more cohesive and targeted fashion, the demands of the analytics practice to measure deterministic and causal impact will increase. Analytics practitioners will be expected to measure the ROI of all marketing initiatives in addition to their own endeavors. Our team expects a renewed emphasis on attribution – qualitative or distinct channel assessments will not be sufficient for sophisticated marketers (see social media!).
The continued evolution of attribution methods and providers has overcome, or at least simplified, many of the implementation challenges. New or evolved commercial offerings in the attribution space have benefited from the experience of previous initiatives. 2016 will be the year when companies that have been contemplating or experimenting with advanced, fractional attribution finally make it a priority and a fundamental component of their measurement framework.
- Matthew Zaute, VP of Analytics
B2B Catches Up
We B2B marketers are learning a lot from our B2C friends. In our space, there’s a massive opportunity to better leverage data to inform our decision-making, something that our B2C counterparts are a bit ahead of us on. However, developing a solid infrastructure to best use data will be vital in 2016 for all marketers, regardless of classification. The brands that embrace the data revolution to deliver the most valuable and relevant customer experiences will be set up for success in 2016.
- Brad Messinger, Senior Vice President of Marketing
Emphasis on Micro-Moments
According to Digital Trends, Americans are spending nearly one-third of their waking hours on their phones. They check email, research commute times, look for nearby restaurants, price check the latest sneakers, and more. This increased emphasis on micro-moments is opening up a new area of opportunity, and many retail brands – especially omni-channel ecommerce retailers that are trying to drive sales both online and in-store – are looking at ways to better integrate social and mobile strategy to engage with their audiences in these moments. Marketers can no longer take a linear, channel-by-channel approach. They must develop an integrated model with the flexibility to easily shift content types, tactics, and campaign spend across channels to deliver a consistent and personalized experience for consumers.
- Irene Fogelson, Director, Account Management
For more information or to learn how we can help you meet your goals in 2016, reach out to Rise.