The bar has been set low (I mean really low) for 2021. The list of adjectives used to describe last year is as long as the Great Wall of China, but when it comes down to it, the best word to describe 2020 is: weird.
2020 was without a doubt a weird year. Nothing went according to plan and every assumption, prediction, and future forecast couldn’t have predicted what occurred. With that being said, let’s predict the marketing future for 2021!
Virtual Connection
Brands have been able to connect with consumers in very unexpected ways throughout the last year. Some brands have excelled at this and others have dropped the ball. As we move through 2021 expect this trend to continue. Brands that prioritize their customers and their happiness will continue to climb, brands that don’t will feel the impact.
Seeing Through the Bull
Piggybacking off the last prediction, brands that try to fake their connection with their customers will be even worse off than those that don’t try at all. The new fancy word for this is “virtue signaling.” Humans are smart animals and see right through businesses making a fake effort.
The Great Outdoors
There were a few winners in 2020 and the out of doors was one of the biggest. Many folks reconnected with nature and the record number of fishing licenses sold in many states is an indicator of how popular nature was. Expect the outdoors to remain popular in 2021 and an outdoor-centered marketing strategy (where it makes sense) could be effective this year.
Digital Ad Spend
The least surprising prediction (and the one I’m most sure of) on this list is that digital marketing spend will continue to increase. This trend continues to gain momentum and with the power of digital marketing during 2020 it is almost a no-brainer that digital marketing will see a substantial increase this coming year.
The Home Office
As of December 2020, 41.8% of the American workforce is working remotely with an estimated 26.7% to continue working remotely for the entirety of 2021. Remote work appears to be here to stay, which will cause some people to jump for joy and others to moan and groan.
Better Webinars
Many people (myself included) are about to run through a wall if we have to watch any more webinars. For Pete’s sake, even the word webinar is boring in and of itself! Companies are realizing that people aren’t excited to watch these webinars and many are trying to spice them up. I even attended a webinar recently that had its own DJ! For everyone’s sake, let’s hope the trend of more interesting webinars continues.
At Midwest Marketing, we have labeled these types of blogs as the “Unpredictable Predictions.” We can never really predict what is going to happen in the world of marketing over the course of an entire year, that’s what makes marketing fun. So this year with your marketing strategy, roll with the punches, and float with the flow and you’ll be sure to have a successful 2021!
