5 Key Branding Trends You Should Watch Out for This 2022
Brendan Kavanagh
Founder, Innovator, Product, Marketing & Sales Leader | ex Chase, SanDisk, Muve Music
Following some major global upheavals during the last couple of years, making reliable predictions about branding trends is easier said than done. However, a wealth of research and data from 2020 and 2021 provide us with a lot of insight on what’s to come in the year 2022 and beyond. While there are many countless factors that will affect branding in general this year, here are five of what we consider to be the most noteworthy.
1. Purpose Driven Branding
Today’s consumers are looking for much more than just good products and services from the companies and brands they interact with. Factors like integrity, social responsibility, and environmental awareness are becoming more important when customers make their purchasing decisions. However, having a clear purpose that goes beyond profit and growth will be a key focus for brands both large and small this year and beyond. An authentic purpose that is easy to communicate to your target audience will determine many aspects of branding from social media marketing to packaging and overall brand messaging.
In it’s 2021 global Trust report, PR and marketing firm Edelman found that 68% of consumers think that corporations have the power to institute societal change. Moreover, most consumers also believe that corporate leaders have a responsibility to address the major problems our society faces. Current market trends show that price and quality are not the only things most people consider when making purchasing decisions and a growing percentage of consumers gravitate towards purpose driven brands. This is why companies like Ben & Jerrys, Patagonia and Lush enjoy such strong support from their target audience.
This trend has been gaining momentum over the past decade or so but with issues like Climate Change, the global pandemic and the current labor shortages happening in many countries coming to a head, people are looking towards companies to start doing their part. Purpose and social responsibility are especially important for consumers aged 30 and below, many of whom consider sustainability as a key factor in most purchasing decisions.
2. Getting a Handle on Privacy-Sensitive Market Research
In an age where we are constantly surrounded by dozens of tiny microphones and cameras embedded in laptops, tablets, smartphones, home automation systems etc., privacy is a hot button topic. The issue becomes even more complex when we throw the insatiable appetite for customer data that we often see in large tech corporations. While trying to learn more about their users, companies now risk alienating their target audience because of a loss of trust.
A survey conducted by McKinsey on consumer privacy shows that almost half of the respondents are more likely to trust brands that only ask for pertinent information during interactions with their customers. On the other hand, there is also a high likelihood that overcollection of data will lead to a loss of trust. Another survey from Deloitte also found many people find it “creepy” when they think that their smart devices are constantly listening to them. Over half of the respondents found it unsettling when they received alerts and notifications about topics that they were recently chatting with their friends or family about.
This 2022 and beyond, brands need to be more mindful about how and when they gather consumer information. Moving forward, it is best to take a privacy-sensitive approach in order to engender an environment of trust and transparency for customers. This isn’t to say that companies should stop gathering market data. Rather, they should be more transparent about where and how this information will be collected and used.
3. Social Media Listening: Cost-Effective Branding Research
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When applied correctly, social media listening can be a game changer for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). What used to be a domain exclusive to large multinational companies, market research on the scale of millions is now accessible to smaller brands.
Essentially, social media listening is a way of gathering rich and varied data on your target market. Every single day, thousands of video clips, photos, tweets and posts are uploaded to numerous social media platforms. This provides a reliable method of monitoring trends and market attitudes on a scale that would have otherwise have been impossible a couple of decades ago. In their 2022 trend report, social media experts Hootsuite identified social media listening campaigns as a key strategy for growth this year.
Viability on the small to medium scale aside, this type of market research methodology is also extremely cost effective and can be scaled up or down to easily match the size of your market research team. Whether you are an owner/proprietor of a one person business or the head of a large marketing department, paying attention to social media listening may help shape your branding strategy for 2022.
4. Authenticity is Key
Grassroots marketing has always been the keystone of brand authenticity. However, doing this sort of thing on a global scale has always been difficult if not close to impossible. The advent of platforms like Youtube, Twitch, TikTok and many others have leveled the playing field.
These days, consumers are starting to prefer branding and advertising strategies involving smaller, more “authentic” creators. While production value and high budget ad campaigns will still have a place in the larger scheme of things, marketing campaigns that focus on partnering with small content creators are steadily gaining momentum. While this really isn’t a new thing per se, the connection between authenticity-centric branding, smaller creators, diversity and online social communities is an emerging trend.
It’s one thing to cater to a large monoculture but targeting a culturally diverse and rich audience is another thing altogether. It is very important for brands to connect and resonate with people from all walks of life. Consumers are getting more and more particular about inclusivity and this is even more prevalent in younger demographics. Last 2021, a study on inclusive marketing showed that an increasing number of younger consumers prefer brands that conduct representative marketing. This year however, you can expect this trend to pick up even more.
5. Bigger Isn’t Always Better
While Youtube and Meta continue to dominate the Internet in terms of user numbers, there is a very interesting trend that has been picking up steam fairly recently. Some of the latest market research data shows that consumers are paying more and more attention to smaller social channels when making their purchasing decisions.
While we say smaller channels, keep in mind that we are using the term relatively. Social platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, Twitch, Snapchat and even LinkedIn have been showing very promising results for advertising. Insights and consulting firm Kantar published a report that showed that many consumers considered ads on TikTok as more “enjoyable and inspiring” compared to ads from larger social media platforms. The report also showed that TikTok was 21% “more trendsetting” than other platforms and close to 7 out of 10 agreed with these findings.
On the Pinterest side of things, the platforms’ own data suggests that Pinterest ads provided better return on investment for advertisers with higher impact results at lower costs. In addition, another study published by Nielsen reported that ads on Snapchat provided greater reach and brand awareness compared to ads in traditional media.
Trying to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to very dynamic things like branding and trends can be very difficult for even the very best of brands. At the end of the day, sometimes the best recourse is to rely on dedicated agencies and firms that make it a point to stay on the cutting edge of branding and CX. For more expert advice on innovation, tech, branding, CX and much more, feel free to contact us here.