2024 is well and truly here, and we’ve spent the start of the year with our eyes on the new and growing marketing trends sure to make an impact in the months to come. From the ever-growing power of AI to carefully selecting color, we’ve compiled a list of 10 exciting branding trends to consider incorporating into your plans.
1. Build on the power of AI
After the initial AI hype at the start of 2023, this rapidly evolving technology is maturing in ways that can greatly improve your brand’s impact in the marketplace. By incorporating AI into everyday processes, brands large and small are finding new ways to customize content for individual consumers, enhance engagement with their brands, and drive purchases to previously unseen levels.
2. Prioritize customer experiences
Giving customers an incredible and seamless experience from initial engagement with your brand to the final sale has never been more important. In the same way Starbucks writes your name on your latte cup, brands should strive to reach their customers in a personalized and immersive way. Here’s where AI comes in handy. To help get there, it will become increasingly important to leverage consumer data to create personalized messages that keep consumers engaged throughout the customer journey.
3. Get into storytelling
As you strive to keep customers engaged throughout the aforementioned journey, the art of storytelling comes into play. When building out strategies, brands should work with their agencies to craft compelling narratives around all the various touchpoints they want to put out there and build a community around them. By incorporating storytelling into your brand experiences, whether that be marketing or advertising campaigns, social media initiatives, web pages and apps, you should see a steady uptick in consumer engagement—especially among younger demographics.
4. Be purpose driven
Today’s consumers, especially Gen-Z and millennials, make purchasing decisions based on a brand’s values and commitments. In fact, according to Nielsen, 73% of millennials are actually inclined to pay more for a product or service if the company selling them has a good track record of sustainability. Long gone are the days where brands could afford to forego good corporate governance and environmental purpose. If you’ve got a good sustainability story, get it out there.
5. Cultural sensitivity and social responsibility is a must
Even way back in 2019, a survey by Adobe found that 61% of Americans believe diversity in advertising is important. That same survey indicated that 38% of consumers place more trust in brands that showed diversity in their advertising. As we move firmly into 2024 and Gen Z approach their prime purchasing years, that sentiment is going to trend upward. It’s more important than ever to ensure your brand’s commitment to diversity has a public face.
Rebrand roadmap - from development to implementation
This high-level infographic provides a look at the steps involved in your brand conversion from a brand implementation and development perspective. Learn what happens in what order during a typical rebrand so you can build your rebrand roadmap for success.
6. Humor goes a long way
We all need a pick-me-up sometimes, right? The role humor can play in marketing is also seeing a big uptick as we head into the future. A recent study by Oracle found that after a clear drop in humor-based advertising through the 2000s, 88% of people are now looking for experiences that make them “smile and laugh.” That same study found that 91% of people prefer brands that are funny and 72% prefer brands that use humor over the competition.
7. The age of video-first marketing is here
The days when brands launched campaigns with a marquee TV spot and print ads are firmly in the past. With the ubiquity of high-speed internet and G5 cellular technology, digital platforms like TikTok and YouTube are where brands are making a real splash. According to Forbes, one third of consumers worldwide spend one to five hours daily watching paid content on video streaming services. The key? Producing content that leverages emotional connections with your audience.
8. Siri, tell me about voice search optimization
If you’ve ever used voice search, you know how handy it can be. Which explains why a recent study showed that 41% of American adults use voice search daily. As that number rises, experts predict that voice assisted searches will reach over 8.4 billion in 2024. This means that when considering your SEO strategy, putting a focus on voice search optimization is crucial. For local businesses looking to stay relevant, this is especially important.
9. Be bold. Go big.
Maybe it’s the fact that we’re all still rebounding from the pandemic, but the era of subdued, serious branding is over. Instead, brands are finding that a transition to more expressive, explosive colors and bolder branding is making headway. Color theory has always been an important differentiator for brands, but in an age when society at large needs a bit of a pick-me-up, even more so.
10. Get into Peach Fuzz, Pantone’s color of the year for 2024
Pantone’s color of the year, Peach Fuzz, sums up our collective need for a bit of an uplift. As Pantone themselves explain, “Subtly sensual, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz is a heartfelt peach hue bringing a feeling of kindness and tenderness, communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration.”
We’re just as excited as anyone to see how these trends play out in 2024. Should you find a brand change in store to stay ahead of the curve and connect with your audience, we’re always available to chat. Here’s to a great year.
