2020 Forecast – Marketing – New Connections & Be for the Consumer

It’s going to get messy and noisy out there in 2020. The cost of advertising and reaching consumers will increase. The ability to break through the election noise will be difficult. So, marketers need to figure out how they will reach and connect with consumers in new ways. More than ever, you’re going to want to go direct, using channels that you control, assuming you’ve established them. You’ll want to build connections earlier in the year; plant seeds and mine them into Q4. And, as always, work hard to develop campaigns that stand out.

And, while that all sounds manipulative, in doing so, how can you be for the consumer and their best interests? Trust in institutions is weak. So, how do you demonstrate that you are operating in their best interest? What problems are you solving for them? Are you providing content and solutions that are valuable? How can you help shape their behavior in positive ways?

Perhaps you can be inspired by this quote from a Monocle interview with Uniqlo’s President of Global Creative, John C Jay: “We’re trying to redefine the concept of ‘mass.’ Mass has this connotation of lowest common denominator but our mass is a sign of respect.”

How will you demonstrate that you respect your customers?