2020 Marketing Trends for Brands

As we ring in a new year, a brand new decade, it is the perfect time to be forward looking and start by reassessing our marketing strategies against the industry focus and trends. What is new? Has anything changed? Any stayed and grew? We look at some marketing trends for brands to stand out in 2020!

Trend #1: Customer Experience

The best advertising you can have is a loyal customer spreading the word about how incredible your business is. – Shep Hyken

Long gone are the days when people make purchasing decision purely by pricing and product differentiation. The rise of technology, social media, we all have access to information so rapidly that it becomes more and more challenging for brands to earn that dollar from their consumers.

Many brands are starting to understand the importance of customer experience in influencing purchasing decisions. As a result, they are investing more time and money to create innovative and unique engagement in order to stand out from their competitors. Good for us consumers – as we get to pick our favorites from brands which are eager to impress.

Here’s one from Adidas x Stella MacCartney hosting hologram workouts in NYC.
Using holographic technology, participants are brought into a multi-sensory immersive experience as they don the new collection outfits for their workout session. This also supported the brand’s new sustainable mission by making use of virtual reality which does not impact the environment as much as a physical demonstration would. Smart move.

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Trend #2: Personalization

Closely linked with customer experience is what we call Personalized Marketing. It is the practice of using data to deliver brand messages targeted to an individual prospect.

These days there are just too many marketing messages that consumers are getting tuned out, or even annoyed by generic blasts from brands. With all the personal data available today, brands turn to them and make them into strategic advantages.

Needless to say, there’s a line to draw for personalization. Firstly it should not appear lazy nor should it appear overzealous and feel that the brand is trying too hard. The messages need to feel relevant and beneficial to the recipient. In addition, it needs to feel pleasant, special and not over-intrusive.

Source: The Verge

For instance, Spotify does it well. It can now adapt existing playlist based on listeners’ preferences. This means that for those specific playlists, no two will be exactly the same. It is a bet on algorithms to predict listeners’ taste – enough to create an unique and personalized experience for each and every one.

Trend #3: Sustainability Marketing

Sustainability has been a topic of interest all across the world. Many consumers these days are actually paying attention and rewarding brand’s sustainability efforts by giving them businesses in return.

A study has shown that 78% of US customers feel better while buying sustainably produced products, while 51% of millennials are willing to pay extra for sustainable offerings.

An example of a good brand to follow is The Body Shop. Leading with its conviction to help empower people, while protecting our planet. It does so, with its plastic-free initiative to tackle plastic pollution.

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Sustainability has always been close to the Limoncellos hearts. It is heartwarming to see how far we have come today with this trend and more brands joining the movement. Read more about our latest article on sustainable lifestyle tips here.

Trend #4: Video Marketing

It is to no surprise the popularity of videos is on the rise these days. For starters, it is an easy to digest format that allows us to give our eyes a break from the massive text information online.

There are many reasons and justifications available online as to why marketers need videos. Therefore without further ado here is a product video that had all of us at Lime Agency laughing our butts off.

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Short and sweet – checked
Humour – checked
Product showcase – checked
Effective – checked

Be sure to also check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel for regular updates of our works.

Trend #5: Chatbot and Augmented Reality (AR)

In a previous article , we talked about Augmented Reality as one of the marketing trends to watch out, but what happens when chatbots are introduced into the picture?

Source: The Verge

For instance, Sephora Virtual Artist is an app that uses AI-based technology. It allows users to get a virtual makeover and share that experience with friends. In addition, chatbots boost the experience to the next level. Users turn to instant messaging to chat with these AI assistants in real-time, day or night. Resulting in them never having to wait for hours or even days to get a response. Users also get personalised assistance which can accurately recall their buying history and preferences and most importantly, without losing patience.

Watch how the app works on YouTube.

It is predicted that 85% of customer service will be powered by chatbots by this year (G2.com). Definitely an interesting trend that makes all our lives much easier.

Trend #6: Alternative Ways of Searching

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Voice Search and Visual Search are alternative ways of searching. They have presented consumers with quicker and more accurate access to information. Marketers have been finding meaningful ways to use these as opportunities to engage better with audiences at different stage of their purchase journey.

According to Gartner research, by 2021 early adopter brands that redesign their websites to support visual and voice search will increase digital commerce revenue by as much as 30 percent. The future of search will lie in keeping up and optimizing technical practices and SEO strategies in line with this new search trend.

These are just some marketing trends that we have identified, amongst the many others. Ultimately when there are opportunities, naturally there will be challenges faced. What we are trying to say is that while being on board trends momentarily is great. But after that it is best to focus on how relevant they are to your brand and target audiences.

Above all it is important to differentiate between a growing trend and a passing fad. Good luck!