Top 6 Advertising Trends To Watch in 2022

Evolution and change are perpetual parts of our existence, so it would be naive not to expect that to emerge within all aspects of our lives— including the wondrous world of marketing and advertising. Since the start of the pandemic, you can probably guess that much like how our quality of life has taken a hit, the marketing and advertising realm has taken a bit of a hit as well. However, as we learn to adapt and improve from the past (after all, it’s in our nature), new and exciting innovations in marketing begin to emerge from the ashes. In 2022, the future of digital marketing is showing a lot of promise. There was a time when artificial intelligence and data-driven marketing seemed like a far-fetched idea, but now, we are seeing it become more and more of a trend amongst companies both large and small. But what do even the richest companies worry about? Becoming irrelevant. Trends are trending for a reason— they deliver results and change perspectives. The last thing you want to do is fall behind and become dust in the wind. Therefore, if you want to remain a solid competitor in your industry, we recommend you keep an eye out for these latest and greatest marketing and advertising trends.

Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2022

In this ever-changing competitive digital marketing industry, it’s important for your business to not only survive but to thrive. Here’s our exclusive inside scoop of 2022’s top new marketing trends and how they can be an essential asset to your business.

Personalized Marketing

Whether it’s a surprise to you or not, consumers love personalization. A study from SmarterHQ shows that 72 percent of consumers act on marketing when it’s customized to their personal interests. The biggest and most successful companies utilize the intelligence of algorithms to customize the user experience. They do this by filtering out irrelevant products and information and instead market what is most interesting and valuable to them. Take Netflix for example. They tailor movies and television shows to each individual user profile to increase the likelihood of them watching something on their platform. It elevates the customer experience and keeps them coming back for more.

AI Content Optimization

We are living in a world where Artificial Intelligence is changing everything from how we communicate with one another to what products become popular. A PwC survey found that there was a 52 percent acceleration rate to AI adoption plans across 1,000 different U. S. companies. Recently, chatbots, search engines and content creation have especially increased in popularity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. There are many reasons why AI has become such a massive marketing trend. They can analyze search patterns and customer behavior as well as gather data from social media channels and blogs so businesses can assess how their customers come across their products and services. One of the best examples of a company utilizing AI extremely well is Google. Their AI functions to provide the most accurate search results which provide their users with the best content to find the information they need. At Wizard of Ads®, we can help you find the best AI software for your business and so much more. Contact us today and we’ll help make your marketing and advertising fresh and influential.

Voice Search

Voice search has increasingly grown in popularity through recent years. Products like Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant are examples of successful ways for companies to implement voice search. Google Assistant alone has one million actions and Alexa has more than 100,000 skills, giving users a vast variety of tools and resources. It’s no wonder why customers of all demographics are making voice search part of their home. If you are still wondering if voice search is worth utilizing in your business, know that voice-based searches take up 20 percent of all internet searches, 58 percent of consumers use it to find local business information and about one billion voice searches take place on a monthly basis. Keep in mind, this is just the beginning of what you can get out of voice search as companies are working to produce audio content to gain brand awareness and ad implementation is next. For instance, Alexa answers your question and then follows with an advertisement. Essentially, voice search is going to become an even more popular platform for companies to promote their brand and gain traction on potential customers. So, it would be wise of you to follow suit.

Predictive Analytics

Much like how it sounds, predictive analytics is a way to identify patterns and predict future results by using data mining and predictive modeling techniques. Take Amazon Assistant for instance. This Chrome extension allows customers to receive recommendations on products even when they aren’t using Amazon. It simply pops up when they are browsing elsewhere on the web. Predictive analytics has shown great potential as it has become more intelligent over the years and is being used across a variety of industries. With that being said, it’s in the perfect position to become one of the most popular marketing methods in the coming years.

Green Marketing

If you are looking for a way to be more sustainable as a business and attract more like-minded customers, green marketing is for you. Also named “eco-marketing,” green marketing is the process of augmenting and advertising your products or services based on how environmentally sustainable they are. This attracts people who are environmentally conscious and builds credibility and authenticity with your brand, which can be hard to achieve. Many companies are shifting towards manufacturing methods that are more sustainable. A few examples of how they are doing this are:

• Using recycled or recyclable materials to make their products.
• Restrictions on how much packaging is being used.
• Using renewable energy or materials.
• Developing products that are repairable so they aren’t just thrown away.

Who wouldn’t favor a company that cares about the planet over one that isn’t as thoughtful about how their products are made and their impact on the environment? With green marketing, you’ll attract new, younger markets and be sure to gain a strong competitive advantage.

Influencer Marketing

We see it everywhere on social media these days and for good reason. Hiring influencers to promote your product or service is the new effective way to market your business as it boosts brand awareness and lures in a more specific target audience. Influencers are people who have a large audience on social media and it is usually determined based on how many followers or subscribers they have. They can be found on various platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, podcasts and more. Consumers tend to trust influencers over celebrities or other marketing/advertising methods because they are more relatable as they are usually regular, everyday people and because they share the same values and interests as them (hence why they followed them in the first place). This is an excellent way for businesses to market to their ideal, target audience and fit into specific niches that would otherwise be more difficult to reach. It’s been a popular marketing method for a while but is expected to grow even more in the next few years.

Top 7 Digital Advertising Trends for 2022

Now that we’ve covered what marketing trends you should look out for in 2022, let’s now teleport into the world of advertising and learn about what 2022 trends you should consider using for your business.

1. Shorter HD Videos

As the world has become more and more reliant on technology, our attention spans have become smaller and smaller. Instant gratification is in style, and it will likely stay that way. This is why shorter HD videos have become one of the newest trends in advertising. Not only that, companies are catering their video ads to be more user-friendly for mobile phones as (shocker) we’re all addicted. In the U. S. alone, mobile video spending is estimated to hit $53.9 billion by the year 2025 and you can expect the majority of that to be spent on shorter HD video ads. Surveys have concluded that about 25 percent of adults close out video ads after ten seconds, and more than half close after 20 seconds. I’m sure I am not the only one who clicks the “skip” button on those pesky YouTube ads, right? With nearly 100 percent of today's video marketers pledging to use video strategies this year, it’s no wonder why this advertising strategy has become so popular.

2. Podcast Series

Podcasts have grown exponentially over recent years having a whopping 116 million monthly listeners in the U. S. in 2021. Therefore, it has become a breeding ground for sponsorships and advertising since companies have caught onto this new and trending media platform. If you’ve listened to a podcast before, I’m sure you’re familiar with the famous line, “and now a word from our sponsors…” This is the type of advertising many successful businesses are utilizing today, and many more are following suit. Additionally, based on the Super Listeners 2021 report, podcast ads have a high retention rate with 86 percent of listeners saying they remember hearing the ad. They also score high in engagement with 76 percent saying they’ve either visited the company website, made a purchase or subscribed after hearing the ad.

3. Automated Program Advertising

Circling back to the amazing benefits of AI, automated program advertising has become an increasingly popular tool in our current advertising industry. It has significantly improved the efficiency in how we analyze data today. Studies have shown that marketers are wasting about five hours and 36 minutes of their time improving their data processes but fail to see any success. However, with AI you can enhance how you optimize your impressions, bid levels, targeting and click-through rates. Utilizing AI’s automated programmatic advertising features will allow you to discover data patterns and help you determine what will generate the best performance within seconds. This is a huge upgrade from having to spend days or weeks doing the same on your own.

4. Online Game Streamings Ads

Mobile gaming has steadily increased in popularity, with downloads increasing by 45 percent in 2020. In fact, about 70 percent would rather exclusively play their mobile games than use any social media app or watch any television show. With mobile gamers being so invested, it makes sense why businesses have taken advantage— and studies show that gamers don’t really mind! Over 70 percent of gamers prefer to watch video ads as their preferred way to “pay” for their game content. What do we mean by “pay?” Well, many game ads offer rewards that you can cash into whatever game you are playing, all because you’ve watched their entire advertisement. These awards can be converted into currency, stamina etc. Typically, mobile game ads can take up the entire screen or are displayed as banner ads. Whichever method you choose, it will make a huge difference in brand awareness.

5. Pseudo-Influencer Ads

We’ve talked about the power influencers have on your marketing and advertising, but what about making your employees your influencers? Pseudo-influencer ads offer a cost-effective alternative to paying for a famous social media influencer. Not only that, they can provide your target audience with more knowledge and insight on your company, its brand and the products and services you have to offer. Additionally, allowing your employees to take over your social media accounts will enhance your authenticity as a brand. It will make your brand feel more personable and trustworthy because if even your employees are raving about your products, why wouldn’t they be intrigued? Having pseudo-influencer ads will also provide a platform for customers to ask common questions and get answers from someone who knows the most. Research has shown that customers spend about 37 percent more money on a brand that is referred by employee advocates. That is enough proof to tell you the power of human connection.

6. Amazon

At this point, we are all aware of the goliath that Amazon has become in the e-commerce industry, and it’s basically impossible to compete. So, you know the saying: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Overall, more than 75 percent of e-commerce ads are bought on Amazon, resulting in the company accruing more than $7 billion in revenue. Businesses are buying advertisements on Amazon not only because it’s the worlds leading e-commerce company but also because the cost of ads runs surprisingly cheap compared to other sites. Additionally, they consistently provide better SEO ads and an increased ROI for many e-commerce businesses. Therefore, it’s clear why so many businesses are gravitating towards advertising on amazon.

Marketing and Advertising for the Modern World

We know that changing and adapting to new ideas and methods in your marketing and advertising isn’t easy. It can be challenging and exhausting to keep up with as the modern world is always rapidly changing. However, to prevent yourself from falling behind, we strongly encourage you to implement most of these trends that have proven to be successful from small businesses and large corporations alike. But you don’t have to take it all on alone. At Wizard of Ads®, we take pride in helping businesses within a variety of diverse industries put the magic in their advertising and marketing strategies. Contact us today and we’ll make certain your business gets off the ground and keeps flying high towards an endless sky of optimal success.