Ringing in the new year with 2008 marketing-trend predictions
More predictions for 2008 from the marketing world (or, how else can we stick our logo in front of kids’ faces?):
AdWeeks’s hot trends in advertising for 2008 includes the catchword “authenticity:”
Next year, among other things, marketers will be more careful about the facts that support the ads. Antonio Navas, worldwide cd at Ogilvy & Mather in New York, says marketers won’t have much choice. “You cannot hide,” he notes, “because people are the critics.”
Funny how we people feel strongly about the truth-in-advertising thing.
And even more! ways to reach potential customers, especially in gaming:
More gamers, of course, equals more eyeballs for advertisers. And in-game advertising has been projected to grow from $56 million in 2005 to between $732 million and $1.8 billion in 2010 . . . .
. . . . agencies will have to evaluate whether the current methods of in-game advertising—primarily billboards and product placement—are as effective . . . . look for more game sponsorships [such as live events and contests] with other partners to promote their products.
And elsewhere:
In 2008, online videos, Webisodes and other potential branded-entertainment productions are going to look better than ever, giving advertisers more sophisticated platforms in which to advertise.
Advertisers will also be looking, of course, towards making branded-entertainment inroads on people’s cell phones.
BrandWeek forsees positive things for word-of-mouth marketing (WOM) in 2008. The good news is that more marketers are seeing the wisdom in adhereing to the established WOM industry standards.
The bad news: not everyone does.
Unilever’s “Go Green and Small With All,” which used in-classroom magazine and Web ads to recruit participants, targeted elementary school kids . . . . Its ambassadors were encouraged to get their families to make small, green changes at home (like using concentrated All detergent) . . . . .
Using young students as ambassadors “reaches our target audience of mothers of school-age children,” says Helayna Minsk, marketing director for All. Incorporating it into a contest “encourages . . . word of mouth and got kids involved collectively,” she adds.
My prediction for 2008? More parents will reclaim their children and not give corporations free access. Find a place for that in your market niche.