So with the start of 2014, I thought I’d report some interesting marketing predictions for content marketing. The predictions are from some of the top marketers in Australia and appeared in B&T Magazine (one of my go-to marketing magazines) in December 2013. It looks like they predict a year full of challenge, creativity and insanity for all!
Have a look further below.
Marketers are loaded with options
One thing that many agree upon is that in 2014 it’s going to be worth the time and effort exploring as many ideas as possible for providing better value for each audience and consumer. With so many message formats and the smorgasbord of channels available beyond traditional media, there’s really no reason why marketers can’t reach their audience and succeed at convincing them to do what they want them to do.
I think the real challenge would be what to focus on, since we can all agree that there is no single solution to the problem of finding the right medium to get the message across. I expect that a good marketer already knows which channel(s) to use to reach their target audience. It’s not like one channel reaches all. Also, every brand is different and their choice of channel reflects the interests of the individuals they are trying to attract.
2014 predictions for Australian marketers
If you’re still wondering what to do in 2014, perhaps these marketing predictions will give you something to consider before January ends.
Fergus Stoddart, Commercial director, Edge (Australia’s leading content marketing agency)
“Brands will recognise that a strong brand storytelling platform is core to the future of their marketing efforts. Brands will place increased importance and budget in developing a [sic] integrated content marketing strategy and the owned and earned media that supports it… There’ll be organisation change amongst brand marketing teams as they recruit journalists and film makers to fuel this customer dialogue. As more and more branded content is developed and shared, brands will look for more creativity and innovation to stand out.”
“Australians are now in the driver’s sear with the content they consume, no longer being told the story, they now want to interact and be part of it. So we’ll no doubt see more second screen experiences to complement what’s on TV.”
“New technology will enable targeting in the public forum, connectivity to relevant content at selected times of day, relevant content-servicing based on audience recognition and the ability to bring the virtual world in to the real world in real time.”
Damian Keogh, CEO, Val Morgan
“Audio visual screen content will be the main battlefield for marketers. Consumers will digest more AV on smart phones and tablets than ever before. Short snack content on mobile and tablets will grow exponentially, but longer form content will remain the domain of bigger screens.”
“Content marketing will increase in popularity. Organisations intend to invest more in content marketing in 2014 and we’ll see the emergence of ‘chief content officers’ in Australia. With the layoffs in journalism, these new content roles will suit the skill set of ex-journalists. Marketers will strive to get content out across all platforms, especially mobile, but will worry about its effectiveness.”
Inese Kingsmill, Director corporate marketing, Telstra
“Our brand aims to connect more people to what they love and need than any other brand… We are also increasingly focusing on collaboration, co-creation and loyalty – inviting people to play an active role in our story, across all devices and channels.”
Darren Woolley, Managing director, TrinityP3
“Big data and the ominous shadow of the big tech companies means that individual privacy is now in critical condition and may pass on… I for one am actually happy about this, because it could mean with more relevant targeting I stop getting ads for Viagra and email proposals from Russian brides. Or perhaps I am just an optimist.”
John Steedman, Chairman and CEO, GroupM Australia
“There’s good news and bad news for print newspapers. The bad news is that they’ll continue [sic] show decline in readership and ad spend. The good news is that the decline will be at a more moderate rate of about 12% to 15% rather than the 20% plus drops we’ve been seeing so far.”
Craig Hodges, CEO, King Content
“Google’s algorithm changes: Messers, Penguin, Panda and Hummingbird caused no end of grief to brands globally but they have focused the spotlight on good quality content, which is a good thing. This will have a huge impact on the quantity and quality of content marketing in 2014.”
Robin Parkes, Executive director, MPA
“Advertising’s holy grail is to feel like content rather than an ad to the reader, and consumers have always thought of advertising as part of the magazine experience… And Australians still spend $790 million buying 150 million magazines.”
Chris Howatson, Managing director, CHE Proximity
“The chief marketing officer will spend more time with their chief technology officer than with their creative agency, as investment in [customer relationship management] software and a focus on marketing automation become key organisational priorities.”
Jaimes Leggett, CEO, M&C Saatchi
“We live in a world where social media can be as powerful as traditional media, where consumers themselves create, curate and distribute content. It’s also increasingly clear that the value of a creative idea can far exceed the time and materials used to create it. A kid with a smartphone can create a video in a couple of hours that reaches millions worldwide.”
Adam Ferrier, Chief strategy officer, CumminsRoss
“Retail brands have a resurgence as they integrate on and offline experiences embracing the fact people just love to shop (it’s up to the retailers to inspire them as to where and how they shop.”
Welcome to 2014! It’s going to be an exciting year where the buzz word ‘content marketing’ will be driving marketers insane!
Disclaimer: Quotes borrowed from B&T’s December 2013 magazine, which the mail man delivered as part of my annual membership to the Australian Marketing Institute. All quotes from the magazine remain the Copyright of B&T Magazine and owner, Cirrus Media. You can also read their electronic version of the full article of Predictions for 2014.
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