Yes, we are thinking beyond 2021 given some fairly major changes coming down the tracks. In our annual look ahead at the things marketers really care about, we answer the question, ‘What are the marketing trends for 2022 that I need to plan for now? As expected, some are rooted in the pandemic and others are long-term trends that are surfacing into mainstream consciousness. So, grab a cup of tea, sit back, relax and absorb some of the key things that will help your 2022 really shine.
What are the marketing trends for 2022?
Down to business? We like it. We regularly publish our thoughts on trends and changes in the industry. Our insights are supported by data from the CMO Survey of Q1 2021, captured from 126 VP-level or above marketing leaders in the UK. The results make for interesting reading.
The marketing trends for 2022 to plan for now are:
- Increased internal organic growth
- Improved customer experience
- Brand value that connects with customers
- Alignment between marketing and finance
- Embrace artificial intelligence in the marketing mix
In the context of 73% of respondents seeing increased importance for marketing in the last year, budgets are down 17% and headcount is down 3%. In summary, marketers are crucial to digital transformation and customer experience but also need to achieve more with less.
Read on as we delve a little further into each trend.
2022 marketing trends that I need to plan for now
As part of your marketing planning, org design or other change programme, we need to know where to focus. Now with UK-only results, this year’s CMO Survey data is more relevant than ever to inform our prediction of future trends. Let’s look at what matters to UK marketers next year.
1. Increased internal organic growth
On average, over 70% of the respondents are set to prioritise internal organic growth in the next 12 months. This is quite a turnaround from the ‘growth through partnerships’ agenda set a year ago. But, how is this going to happen? In general, the drive is for new business acquisition. In summary, it indicates that the focus is on retention and wallet share of existing customers.
One implication of this approach is that budgets are constrained. It is commonly said that it is six times more expensive to win a new customer than to keep one. Therefore, a retention-based strategy makes a lot of sense. However, you can’t really build internal growth without improving the drivers of customer satisfaction. Yes, you can ask for comments and pay customers to post reviews but this barely scratches the surface. Furthermore, true advocacy is only achievable if you deliver a superior customer experience. There are no sticking plasters here.
2. Improved customer experience
Nearly one third of respondents said that ‘strong customer experience’ was more important than other factors. Yes, this includes price, products and innovation. Consequently, there is a predicted increase in marketing budget to spend on CX. There is now nearly 20% of the marketing budget of VP-level and above allocated to CX initiatives.
Crucially, it is far more than just User Experience (UX). It is easy to think that making a great app or website to navigate makes all the difference but this is only tactical. You build CX through branding and marketing, your lead-to-cash and trouble-to-resolve journeys. The end goal is reciprocal advocacy for your products or services. It looks like marketing has its work cut out to manage long-term improvement in CX with less budget.
3. Brand value that connects with customers
In terms of marketing objectives, the most focus has gone into building brand value that connects with customers. During the pandemic, the highest number of respondents said that they focused on building brand value and engagement. Over 35% of respondents put this as their number one objective. This is a trend that shows no sign of slowing down.
Additionally, with lower budgets and difficulty connecting with shoppers, the focus turned to social media. Posts, stories and promotions made a lot of sense during lockdowns and still do for long-term loyalty as well as staying connected during uncertainty. However, the real challenge occurs once businesses fully re-open. The ‘captive audience’ on a mobile phone now wants to live, have experiences and emotions that stay with them.
4. Alignment between marketing and finance
When asked how well aligned the VPs and CMOs are with finance leaders, around a third are not particularly aligned. The good news is that 43% are highly or very highly aligned. This can only be a good thing and is likely to have accelerated as finance showed increased interest in all areas of expenditure.
Furthermore, we have previously advocated for making best friends with finance and more recently a power trio of marketing, sales and finance. Nobody wants to see marketers heading for the job centre or budgets slashed to nothing because we can’t measure ROI. It is heartening to see that marketing is aligning with finance, possibly as a counterbalance to short-term thinking in sales, but also to support marketing investment.
5. Embrace artificial intelligence in the marketing mix
AI helps us to increase efficiency, automate repetitive tasks and make predictions. Unfortunately, not every business and marketing team is ready for this. There are so many technologies flooding into marketing that it is tempting to think it fixes everything. We tend to say “caveat emptor” or ‘let the buyer beware’. Perhaps that shows why nearly 70% of respondents said they are not looking at AI and machine learning right now.
However, the technology picture changes when looking to the future of marketing. Nearly 43% of respondents at VP-level to CMO said that they would regularly implement AI and machine learning over the next 3 years. In summary, there is real confidence that these technologies will enhance marketing. It is crucial to get the basics right and also transform your marketing processes to work in tandem.
Advice and support to help you plan for the trends in 2022
Think Beyond is a marketing consultancy based in Cheshire. We offer a range of services covering strategic support and advice, research, digital, demand and lead gen. As former business leaders, we support marketing teams with strategy through to execution. Our solutions are backed by qualified experts, frameworks and technologies to support what you want to achieve. In conclusion, we keep abreast of new trends to help our clients make the most of every opportunity.
If you would like to speak to a marketing expert, simply call 01565 632206.
Alternatively, why not drop an email to sales@think-beyond.co.uk or pop a few details into our quick form to ask for a call back.
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