2024 MARKETING TRENDS

We are finally waving goodbye to 2023 and looking forward to what the next year will bring. But what will 2024 mean for marketing? Here are the marketing trends that we predict will be vital to focus on next year.

AI - The Big Three

AI has changed marketing, content creation and tech in general since it exploded onto the scene in late 2022, and has shown no signs of stopping. While it has its limitations, AI tools have proven invaluable to marketers. In fact, 69% of businesses generate content by using AI tools like ChatGPT. However, AI tech is far from infallible and there are worries about misinformation and other issues.

The potential for AI use to result in data breaches is huge - people can and have shared private information with AI tools, which by no means keep it secret. Some are worried about job losses due to AI taking over some roles, and AI-fuelled automated decision-making may lead to issues such as discrimination and potential bias against certain groups.

Some consumers are worried about the effects of AI, such as being told the wrong information. They are right to be concerned - some politicial ads which may be considered propaganda have been generated using AI, and Meta has even banned AI-generated political content on their platform, although who knows how effective the ban will be.

Some consumers are still happy with the use of AI, with 65% surveyed saying they are willing to trust brands who use AI technology, as it could make customer experiences better. Almost two-thirds of consumers are also willing to use ChatGPT to find answers or info than a search engine like Google.

AI can also be used to great effect in personalising customer experiences through data-driven, highly targeted marketing campaigns. AI could help identify the needs and wants of customers so that brands can tailor their offerings even further. This could be implemented in real-life environments like shops and other retail spaces. Some may be concerned about data privacy, once again, but if handled correctly, it could be very effective for optimising advertising campaigns.

AI Chatbots

Chatbots are a clever use of AI tech that reduces the need for human customer service assistants, as AI can answer many customer queries. They can respond in real-time and talk just like a person would, thanks to natural language processing, or NLP.

Dominos made it even easier to summon a pizza online with their chatbot, which gives hungry consumers the chance to order a pizza without having to call anyone or download yet another app - they could do it all within a FB Messenger chat.

The internet operates 24/7 and consumers expect online businesses to be the same. That’s where AI chatbots can help. According to a survey, 38% of marketers have grand plans to implement chatbots in 2024. Some customer questions will need a response from an actual person, but a chatbot can deal with most messages from customers quickly and effectively.?

AI content generation

Content generation is a huge part of AI use, with a whopping 61% of marketers currently relying on generative AI for their content needs. From blogs and articles to web content and social media posts, there’s a handy AI solution to the sheer amount of work that this requires. Github has even introduced an AI-powered developer tool called Copilot that uses GPT-3 to answer developers' coding queries. Reviews for Copilot are looking good so far.

AI sure can churn out the content, and much faster than a person could ever do it, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. AI-created content can be vague and bewildering or even straight-up false. AI content can also be fairly generic and often steals from other websites, which can be problematic for both SEO and the brand as a whole. AI content should always be checked by a human before it gets published.

While nearly a third of consumers feel like they could spot AI-generated content easily, it's hard to say if they really could do so if put to the test. A 2023 study discovered that even seasoned experts in the field of linguistics failed to identify AI content, and only got it right 38% of the time.?

More Focus on Data Privacy

People are more savvy than ever about data privacy and their rights as a data subject, and it's not surprising that this has affected marketing too. It might sound like marketers will be in the dark more, but the truth is that more data is being collected than ever before - but a lot of that data will be anonymised. Apples's recent iOS update offers users more privacy and protection, and gives them more say in how their data is used.

There is more focus than ever on data privacy and protecting the rights of data subjects. This doesn't mean that less data will be collected, however, it just means that more data will be anonymised. The Apple iOS 14.5 update gives more privacy to their users and allows them a greater level of control over how their data will be used. Read more...

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