Instead of just listing all of my suggestions for what might shape the marketing landscape in 2015, I’ve decided to have a look at some of the most popular marketing predictions for 2015 and give my opinion.
2015 is the second coming for mobile technology.
Most industry experts have got something about mobile devices and wearable tech in their predictions for 2015, including inbound now who say”The importance of mobile will grow in each and every aspect of business.”
Many of these predictions points towards mobile phones replacing wallets for the first time. This is looking even more likely in recent weeks as Apple have been seen to be signing contracts and moving staff around ready for Apple Pay implementation in Europe later this year.
There are obviously concerns about privacy and hardware that may slow this process down, but I believe once Apple Pay is up and running the rest of the mobile market will have no choice to follow.
Marketing will be fully integrated into everyday life
The Internet of things was the buzzword of 2014 and many predictions state that 2015 is the year the internet of things brings marketing into every aspect of our lives (check out this extreme version). Our fridges will be able to send a message to our smart watch telling us to buy more milk. When we get to the supermarket our fitness tracker shows us healthy alternatives to our usual full fat options, and then we simply wave our phone in the air to pay. Possible in 2015? Maybe not quite as slick as that but it won’t be far off.
2014 was the last time that brands could use social media without a budget
Lots of marketing professionals are predicting that for marketers to see any ROI from social media, they will not only have to invest time but also money. I believe this is almost guaranteed to be the case.
At the end of 2014, The Drum called 2014 the year that “Facebook said ‘no more’ to free brand advertising” and with organic post reach rapidly dropping I do believe 2014 was the last time you could advertise on Facebook for free. While organic reach is still good on Twitter, they have been busy testing new advertising features which will allow users to effortlessly purchase products from their news stream. Obviously this will come at a cost.
I don’t believe this new found cost will turn many business away from social media as a marketing platform, as such a large number of business were already paying for promotions and are seeing good results.
Content will continue to be king
Content has been king for the last few years and nobody is suggesting that this is going to stop being the case. However what is disputed is what is going to happen to content in 2015. The two content predictions for 2015 both make sense- better quality content and personalized content. With algorithms getting smarter, more competition than ever before and consumers now expecting high quality search results, to rank well the content you produce will need to be better than ever.
And what about personalized content? With our lives being connected to the internet in more ways than ever before, it is only right to assume that content will become more personalized. The key question which is yet to be answered is when does personalized content become an invasion of privacy?
In conclusion
2015 looks set to be an interesting year in marketing and I’m looking forward to bring part of the marketing experience in 2015, and looking back at the predictions at the end of the year.
