A Visionary View of the Future of Digital Marketing

The marketing industry is full of changes. Just look at what happened in 2018. The General Data Protection Regulation has been implemented by the European Union, artificial intelligence has become mainstream and the smartphone has become the definitive means of reaching consumers in real time since last year. In short, marketing professionals had to stay sharp throughout the year.

But make no mistake, in 2019 this will not change. A number of marketing trends are expected to be introduced again. In general, the industry is experiencing a substantial shift towards a customer-focused marketing model based on accurate consumer information and personal relevance. It is just not that simple to achieve this and to satisfy the demanding consumer. Marketers, however, who coordinate their technologies and data well, are heading towards a bright future. As a starter, I indicate the 5 trends that you must keep a close eye on this year.

# 1. Even more - and better! - personalized groceries

In principle, consumers want 2 things that do not actually go together. On the one hand, consumers are concerned about the collection of data related to their privacy, and on the other, they expect highly personalized content and offers from their brands. How can you best deal with this? Explain to consumers in a clear way why and how you use their data. Finally, 74 percent want to be treated as an individual and not as a target group. Use every interaction to find out more about your customers with perfect relevance as the ultimate goal.

# 2. Zoom in on location

In 2018, customer experience became synonymous with mobile experience, now that consumers are also on the move looking for interaction with brands and the products or services of those brands. When a consumer downloads an app, shares location data and activates push notifications, brands can collect the location data via the mobile device. These can then be used for relevant marketing messages. For example, how about push notifications about current promotions in stores when a consumer in the neighborhood is shopping? But also messages based on local weather conditions - "Fancy a refreshing drink?" - are interesting.

We do, however, have to make a note: handle location data with care. If used incorrectly, it can also have the opposite effect. Then relevance switches to a 'Big brother are watching you' feeling and you naturally want to prevent that.

# 3. Predicting customer behavior

To survive as a brand, you must always be one step ahead of the competition. Nowadays, marketers need to know exactly where consumers are going to provide them with their desired services. With the help of artificial intelligence, companies can make predictive analyzes to follow their customers during every phase of the customer journey. Brands that use predictive analysis in their marketing strategy are even twice as likely to identify valuable customers and deliver specialized marketing.

Consumers also expect this from brands. Our own research has shown that 33 percent of them expect companies to anticipate personal needs before they arise. A good intention for 2019 is to start cleaning data sets. It appears that marketers have difficulty preparing and compiling data sets for AI applications.

# 4. Control everything with speech

Voice control is a trend that exploded in 2018. More and more consumers are allowing voice assistants into their homes, making this the perfect time for companies to respond to this. Marketers would do well to invest more in voice-driven search and product placement on voice-driven systems. This is possible if a budget is removed from other channels, such as television and radio. Finally, fewer and fewer consumers are watching TV or listening to the radio due to the arrival of services such as Netflix and Spotify. However, not everyone is ready for connected devices at home, so a radical switch is not yet necessary.

# 5. Video controls social media

The time when only still Instagram posts went viral is behind us. Video is now completely on social media, even on Instagram. With 'Stories' the platform already started promoting the video and with the introduction of its own 'TV station' IGTV, this gets an extra boost. Marketing spending in 2018 confirms the rise of video ads: spending on online video increased by no less than 27.5 percent. Note that more and more vertical or standing videos are being watched, in particular by generation Z. Therefore, first, determine the desired target group and adjust the format accordingly.

Marketers must do their utmost to meet the ever-higher demands of all those empowered consumers. Or as 42 percent of consumers in our survey indicate: "Companies can be happy that they have my attention." It is therefore important that companies show this. A lot will change in 2019. However, structurally integrating the trends and technologies from this trend overview should not be seen as a fast sprint. It is a marathon. And don't forget: trends come and go, but an honest and empathetic approach to your customers always remains relevant.