1. TikTok is taking over, leaving other platforms to adapt

TikTok “won 2020” by being downloaded a mind-blowing 850 million times.
What exactly is the lure of TikTok and what are the consequences of its steady rise for traditional #media and the #entertainment industry?
Rethink engagement in the relation to current trends.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarmisthatarafder_brand-pandemic-commerce-activity-6867615249571332096-DvCm


2. Brands will lead in social media decentralization

Communities are key —
but not just within social media platforms.
Many brands are now building their own
in-house social networks, with in-app forums and features, to take back control of their audiences.

3. Post-pandemic content
will shape up to consumer needs
The pandemic created a world of online content consumers.
They have greater expectations, and tastes, in content. They are looking for novel ideas.

How will you shape content in the future, with an always-on, snackability-demanding audience?
 
4. Social ads will develop, as cookies get crunched
The cookie is crumbling.
How will this impact the future of social advertising, and how will brands continue to offer personalized services, while remaining compliant?
Making Your Message Matter in a 'First Party' Cookie World.
 

5. Omnichannel engagement will change the way consumers engage with social media


Consumers are no longer loyal to one channel -- leading to content diffusing cross-platforms faster than ever.


https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarmisthatarafder_gen-millennials-internet-activity-6849442733245911040-nCgC

But, this also leads to more disinformation, and increased ease in sharing ‘fake news.’





6. Social selling will simplify the customer journey

As the pandemic drives more consumers to buy online, this trend will look deeper into how the social platforms are tackling social selling, and how its demand will grow in the future.
— Hubspot

7. Maturing influencer marketing will finally come of age
Influencer marketing has grown up. With increased regulation and responsibility, more brands are taking them seriously. And following the pandemic, many have bigger and more engaged audiences than ever before.
Think, how will your brand make the most of these opportunities?
8. Metaverses will be the next consumer connection

What will the future of the internet look like?
The biggest platforms are starting to visualize it now — an interactive community of users able to engage in a wide variety of social activities online. It’s time for brands to get on board.
 

9. Brand inclusivity will be brand critical

CSR was big in 2020. Bigger in 2021.
For 2022, brands are going to have to listen to, and act on, the social issues that matter most to their audiences. Companies are going to be integral to global change in the future — Hubspot

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarmisthatarafder_metaverse-internet-digital-activity-6862498456359976960-EFh5

10. Communities will develop, and take control
Consumers have a voice. It may be fairly quiet, but when those voices come together, in vast social communities, they’re loud enough to change the world.
Expect more vocality from users, and more socially driven changes from communities - with brands adapting quickly to react. Know the new wave of buyers.

Align your loyalty program with the overarching purpose
According to KPMG consumers want personalization but this survey suggests that there is a gap between rhetoric and reality. Only one in five consumers globally saw personalization – be it in terms of service, communication, promotions and offers – as a leading benefit of loyalty programs.
Use social media channels to personalize your offer and accentuate your loyalty points.
Ditch the mind set that loyalty point are only for B2C.
Truly personalized offers can cut through the clutter. In this context, relevance drives revenue and fuels brand movement.  Source: The Truth about Customer Loyalty KPMG International 2019

Drive with an overarching purpose beyond the brand and the transaction.
Movements gain momentum when integrated with a social cause or a community’s belief that they are contributing to a "greater good or purpose within broader society." According to Deloitte Research, “There needs to be a deep emotional attachment to a central truth about the product or service, such that a customer willingly engages in the relevant connected community,” thereby catalyzing action beyond the brand itself.
One brand mentioned often is Unilever’s Dove, whose “Real Beauty” campaign—now called the “Movement for Self-Esteem”—has encouraged women to be comfortable in their own skin and to push back against a single arbitrary standard for female beauty.
 
Imagine your product aligned with the overarching purpose.
For a brand movement to be born, use social media channels and stay authentic and transparent. Build a brand loyalty program that accentuates to the purpose of the brand. Accentuate your purpose with participation and fusion.
 

Creating a Movement around Millennial Wants
Transparency, sustainability and innovation have a strong influence on brand loyalty, especially among Millennials and Generation Z consumers. These demographic groups are also more likely to be swayed by independent positive online reviews, influencers and social media channels. More than six out of ten Millennials say they prefer to donate their loyalty rewards to a good cause than redeem them personally.
This is the largest segment of your audience that is eager to embrace themselves with the bigger purpose of your brand.

GET TO KNOW THE SECRET OF SOCIAL LISTENING


Create Communities.
Capture something anthropologic.
"The experts point to both the presidential campaigns of 2016 as movements that tapped into deep cultural and political attitudes, and grew communities ultimately bigger than their candidates and platforms. In fact, everyone agrees that political candidates and issues offer strong potential for movements."
Fast forward to 2020: The movement was about capturing the soul of America.

High Finance meets High Clean and in the process, nudges the sub-conscious of the High Executives


Our client, Bank of the West partnered with St Francis House in helping "Clean The World". The attendees were encouraged to put together components of a hygiene kit with individual feel good cards that would be distributed to the homeless people. Clean the World has partnered with posh hotels in re-manufacturing their discarded toiletries for the less fortunate, including the homeless folks.
Here, a deep cultural grievance gets to work in aiding profits.  How? Think, who stays at these posh hotels. Sub-consciously, the hotel guests are marketed to even before they get to visit the venue or the event.


Create a strong call to action and a clear role for customers
One of the most successful efforts broadly considered a movement is Small Business Saturday, founded by American Express. Small Business Saturday has been recognized by the US Senate, city proclamations, and public service announcements over the past several years. Encouraging people to Shop Small at their local brick-and-mortar stores during the busiest holiday shopping weekend, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the campaign has provided an umbrella for many independent brands and retailers.

Small Business Saturday meets all of the criteria for a movement. It has a purpose and a strong emotional component. “It ties to core human values,” says one global marketing VP of a consumer products company. With a call to action built on personal connections, family rituals, and community support, Small Business Saturday captures an anthropologic desire to support Main Street. It's clear call to action—shop local, has driven sustained increases in both the number of people shopping at small businesses and the sales at independent retailers and restaurants over the past seven holiday seasons.




The movement drives cultural or behavioral change, or is aligned with a fundamental shift in social values.
Brands can be at center of movements, like Starbucks during its high-growth period become part of the social fabric, changing mind-sets and how people consume products and services. Think why you are so happy to pay $6.00 for a perceived fancy cup of coffee.

On the other hand, brands can be an answer to a looming global challenge. Amazon is recognizing the impact of global climate change and is allocating 10BN dollars towards it. Whether it is a genuine purposeful move, or a fancy PR exercise is yet to be seen. However, Bezos Earth Fund to fight climate change has received nearly 300,000 likes and counting on Instagram.
USE YOUR SOCIAL CHANNELS BEYOND THE MATRIX OF CLICKSDEVELOP AN AWARENESS OF THE CONSEQUENCE OF YOUR DESIGN 
ENCOURAGE YOUR PEOPLE TO BE CREATIVE THINKERS, NOT INANE CLICKERSFABRICATE A PURPOSE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF YOUR BRAND THE RICHNESS AND MEANING OF YOUR BRAND IS WHAT PEOPLE REALLY BUY....