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New Trends in Marketing 2013+

Marketing is evolving faster than ever before. Not because of technology itself, but because markets and customers are changing in their structures and priorities, expectations and aspirations, faster than any time in history. Whilst digital technologies give us fantastic new platforms on which to reach and collaborate with billions of people, fast and efficiently, marketing is still a human challenge. With more competitors, and more opportunities, we need to be focused but imaginative, evolving the fundamental basics of marketing, whilst also embracing the best new ideas, to inspire and engage people, enable and do more for them. A new generation of brands are shaping markets right now. Rather than big western corporations, they tend to be smaller entrepreneurial businesses often led by marketers from smaller and fast-developing markets. From Air Asia of Malaysia to Bosco in Russia, Chinas Wuxi PharmaTech or Kenyas M-Pesa, these new brands are playing a different game new rules, new tools and with more impact. There are big shifts and more radical disruptions, often in the margins, that shape expectations not just within, but across categories and markets. Fusion, as well as diffusion, of ideas is often key. Estee Lauder succeeded in China only by featuring Liu Wen, Smirnoff did a similar trick in India with its Masala Marke, a spicy vodka. What are the new trends in marketing? Trends come in the form of fashions that build on the rush for youth and social media marketing more direct, more collaborative, more engaging. Every agency will be pushing them at you. But there are also enduring aspects of marketing that make the bigger difference eventually, for example, the slow shift from product-driven to customer-centric marketing, where ideas and brands, not patents and production, matter most. These require new capabilities, new organisations, and new mindsets.

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The trends are divided into four groups the new concepts and more enduring, evolving concepts - the strategic impact and those with more short-term, tactical results.

Marketing Trend Map 2013+

Peter Fisk, GeniusWorks 2012

The challenge however is to take the concepts and make them happen its easy to read about cool new techniques, but much harder to implement them in relevant and profitable ways. Thats what distinguishes winners from losers. Therefore some of the trends dont sound like rocket science, or completely new, but they are the factors that best marketers are now making happen.

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1.Marketing fashions = New concepts + tactical impact Black marketing bringing together a range of below the radar techniques including events, parties and sponsorship to target niche audiences, particularly useful where advertising is banned. Augmented reality from Googles futuristic glasses that can tell you everything from product ingredients to special offers, to digital-wall shopping which has been a huge hit for Adidas Neo in Germany, or Tesco in South Korea. Branded voices building a personality behind your brand, either the founder or endorser. From Richard Branson to Cristina Carlino. Gary Vaynerchuks weekly wine-lovers show that has a huge following across the USA. Trusted at home following the old but pioneering model of Avon, to go out and find customers, or better to incentivise customers to find other customers like them. More local, more personal, more trusted. Spreading happiness brands around the world went happy crazy over the last year, partly as a feel-good response to global economic stagnation, but also following the trailblazing funkiness of Zappos shoes, and Coke too. Freemium pricing from apps to games, customers are now familiar with the idea of getting the product free, and then paying for the addiction-driven updates and upgrades. Now its time to apply the model to every other market. Viral advocacy word of mouth is free and believable, but digital gave it even more impact. Instead of one delighted customer telling 3 others, they now tell 300 or 30,000 others with their likes, tweets and reviews.

2. Marketing breakthroughs = New concepts + strategic impact Horizon planning forget trying to plan incrementally in fast and volatile markets. Start with a vision, then work backwards thinking about what you want to achieve by at each horizon with more flexibility within a set of principles and directions. Participation platforms campaigns are out, platforms are in. Campaigns push short-term messages, quickly forgotten, platforms build enduring ideas built on ongoing participation. Think IBMs Smarter Planet or Cokes Live Positively. Solomo consumers the biggest shift in consumer behaviour is guided by their smartphone, and everything it enables to be social, and local, and mobile. Time and location-based marketing is now ready to absorb most marketing budgets.

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Zero moment of truth in a search-driven, digitally enabled engagement process there is a clear moment when potential customers will choose to love or hate you we call it the ZMOT - the Tripadvisor rating, or carbon emission of cars. Upward innovation the best ideas come the bottom upwards, not the top down the poorest, most deprived markets; or the youngest, most open-minded consumer; or the freshest un-normalised employee. Diffusion brands most brands recognise that one brand just cant work for everyone, and to address the aggressive price strategies, they need a second brand. Hollister for Abercrombie, Skoda for Volkswagen. Subscription pricing the biggest trend in pricing is not to sell products around transactions but to sell a subscription, like a magazine from cloud computing to Zipcars, vegetable boxes to Regus serviced offices with enduring revenues.

3. Marketing enhancements = Evolving concepts + tactical impact Urban formats now that most of us live in cities, marketers need to adapt to urban priorities, in particular space, time and convenience. From small format retailers like Carrefour Express to smaller format packs and vending machines. Brand storytelling as people seek authenticity, and brands are seen as superficial, stories give them more depth, more enduring, and easier for people to tell others. From Marlboro Man to Red Bull adrenalin, what is your story? Predictive economics data is a huge challenge and opportunity for every marketer. We can drown in it, or dive deep and find amazing insights. But its most powerful when it can predict future behaviour, and link it to commercial potential. Wellbeing themes more enduring than the happiness wave, is health and wellbeing which goes well beyond healthcare and food. It was the insight that drove the WiiFit from Nintendo and Nike Fuelband. Guest designers much more than celebrity endorsement, then is about using the skills, and image, of others to enhance your brand. H&M fashion by Kylie Minogue, school meals from Jamie Oliver, disposables by Philippe Starck. Brand gaming gamification is not just a gimmick for kids, but more engaging ways to immerse your customers in your brand, before or after purchase. From Drench drinks, sold by playing a game, or Nike GRID on urban streets.

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Integrated communication the fastest cost-saving, and impact gain can come by connecting your messages and media bringing together agencies and activities to talk with one voice, building a more interactive and coherent experience.

4. Marketing transformations = Evolving concepts + strategic impact Emerging markets marketers are the growth drivers, and their biggest opportunity is obviously the fast-growing economies east and south, but dont forget other types of markets women will grow faster than India and China! Borderless segments we obsess about geographical boundaries, thinking domestic and international, but customers are more similar in their clusters across geographies than within them. Forget nationalism, think niches and motivations. New tribal communities community building is simple, you just create a Facebook page dont you? No. Tribes grow around a common purpose, cause and passion. You need to help them define it and share it, in new ways. Crowd creativity the best ideas are out there, not in your business. So build a crowdsourcing platform and let customers solve your toughest problems, or together build the best new ideas. Look at Kickstarter or Threadless. Concept innovation brands are not about products, not about companies, but about bigger ambitions to make life better. Innovate around a concept like learning, or exploring, in a way that connects but is more than what you do. New business models like Apple and Google, rethink how you create value for customers through your partnerships with distribution and supply partners and networks, and thereby rethink revenue streams, cost models, and value creation. Social innovation ultimately we are all here not just to make money, but to make the world a slightly better place. How can you innovate around a higher purpose that creates value for customers, for society, as well as your shareholders.

Peter Fisk, GeniusWorks 2012 Peter Fisk is a global branding, marketing and innovation expert. He is founder and CEO of the Genius Works, the accelerated innovation firm. He is a business advisor, speaker, and best-selling author of six books including Creative Genius, published this year. For more information visit www.theGeniusWorks.com