• Oh 2022, tell us what awaits brands in terms of communication this year?

• The future will tell, but I can already announce that storytelling, customer relationships, engaged narratives, environmental commitments, proof by actions, transparency, the end of cookies, the smoothness of purchasing journeys, social commerce, video, audio, live streams on Twitch, social networks, mobile, and the metaverse will keep them quite busy.

• Hmm… a vast program! They won’t get bored!

• For sure. There is so much to say… To kick off the year, here are 4 trends to follow. Choices had to be made. Happy New Year 2022!

MORE INCLUSIVE NARRATIVES

Our society is composed of diverse, different, and unique individuals; this is what makes it so rich. Advertising must continue to evolve to be more representative and inclusive as it conveys a message across numerous communication channels. It has a form of responsibility.

Brands need to show more diversity, more imperfections, more reality without falling into clichés. Images and words carry paramount importance.

Example: SNCF campaign – Hexagonal 

FROM INFLUENCER TO CONTENT CREATOR

Associating one's brand image with recognized individuals in their field allows reaching a broader audience while maintaining one's identity. Many influencers are true content creators mastering production and distribution. By collaborating with them, brands develop their notoriety far beyond mere product placement.

There also exist hidden talents within communities who are incredibly creative. Some brands will then seek the rare gem while working on their notoriety through the virality of their marketing operations.

Example: Prime Video – #DubbingFactory

VERY SHORT CONTENTS SUITED FOR SOCIAL NETWORKS

Video is no longer a trend. It is now well established in our digital landscape. In 2022, brands will continue to showcase themselves by multiplying formats to adapt especially to mobile consumption and social media. Whether it’s a long format adaptation or special production for a specific social network, the video will be short, very short. 

“The attention span of Millennials, those born with continuous connectivity and who grew up with a touchscreen at their fingertips […] is 9 seconds.” This excerpt is taken from Bruno Patino's book: The Civilization of the Goldfish. A Small Treatise on the Attention Market. And don't believe that this pathology of the new century only concerns the youngest.

To be seen, one must therefore attract attention quickly, no matter the target. 

This should not prevent brands from producing longer content. If storytelling is well executed, the attention span can be higher.

Finally, moments of silence, disconnection, and pausing unsolicited solicitations will become increasingly precious. Thus, there are communication operations to imagine to preserve the beauty of our world.

Example:  See Vienna. Not #Vienna (campaign dating back to 2019 and truly timely)

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS IN PRODUCTIONS

In 2021, over 50 million French people were active on social networks, spending an average of 1 hour and 41 minutes per day (Source We Are Social). Numbers that continue to grow year by year.

It is therefore not surprising to find a strong influence of social media codes in content productions. Conversational messages, story formats, scrolling, emojis, promotional videos from brands adorn themselves with prominent elements from this universe.

Example: Zalando and Coca-Cola without sugar (which goes even further with the use of pop culture codes).

To conclude, if you want to take a look in the rearview mirror, the marketing trends 2021 are still relevant.